Gedrin! Gedrin!
- What happened? I lost you. - 37 bio-pods were damaged.
I had to disconnect them from the reactor.
- Were they dead? - I had no choice.
The main power's holding. The rest of the bio-pods are secure.
That leaves us.
Don't look so worried. It'll be like a night's sleep.
We're out of time.
- Do you think we'll dream? - I don't know.
- We'll get through this. - What if there's nothing left?
We'll start again.
Five years.
Report.
We've entered a subspace corridor.
It pulled at our warp field like a magnet.
Where did the debris come from?
Unknown, but the corridor is full of it. Metal fragments, organic residue.
Some of the debris is over 800 years old, Captain.
Can we find a way out of this garbage?
I don't know. It's like a maze.
- Be a good rat and find us the cheese. - I'll do my best.
Tuvok?
It was a vessel. They are hailing us.
Put it through.
Who are you?
Captain Kathryn Janeway of Voyager.
This underspace belongs to us.
We're trying to leave. Can you help us?
Help you? Yes, we'll help you.
They're targeting our shields with a resonance pulse.
It's altering the harmonics. We're being pushed out of the corridor.
- We're clear. - The vessel has exited the corridor.
We're 200 light years from the corridor.
- 200 light years in five minutes? - Hail them.
Thank you for your help. We have a long journey ahead.
Can we negotiate a passage through this underspace?
- Prepare to be boarded. - Boarded? For what reason?
We must purge your computer of readings you gathered in our territory.
We pose no threat to you.
We'll destroy that information one way or another.
- Lower your shields. - I won't do that.
Evasive manoeuvres. Disable them.
It's difficult to get a phaser lock on them.
Two more ships heading our way.
Direct hit. Our warp drive is off-line.
Shields down to 82%.
- 60%. - They're closing.
Any clever suggestions?
Uninhabited planet, 8 million kilometres.
Atmosphere has radiogenic particles.
- How radiogenic? - 3,000 isorems.
We can survive in that, but maybe our friends can't.
Shields at 53%.
Do it.
Entering the thermosphere.
Radiation at 3,000 isorems.
Alien ships in pursuit, charging weapons.
Increase our descent vector.
They're still closing.
Direct hit to our aft shields.
Find the highest concentration of radiation and take us through it.
Proximity radiation at 4,000 isorems.
5,000... 6.
Their shields are weakening. They're breaking off.
Now all we need is a place to set down and make repairs. Tom?
- We're clearing the lower stratosphere. - On screen.
- I thought it was uninhabited. - Radiation interfered with scans.
Looks like this planet's in the middle of a nuclear winter.
Agreed. Gamma radiation levels are highly toxic.
The crater suggests orbital bombardment.
- How long ago? - At that rate of decay - 892 years.
This must have been a city of millions. Set us down.
- Disengaging engines. - Stand down Red Alert.
Assign damage repair teams. Make sure B'Elanna has help in engineering.
- Our friends are still in orbit. - Circling like vultures.
- They're going to go hungry. - Not if they adapt their shields.
I'm detecting faint lifesigns coming from a chamber beneath the surface.
- Survivors? - After 900 years?
- Oversee repair teams. - You're going down there?
If someone survived this catastrophe, they might need our help.
Seven, Tuvok, you're with me.
These walls have been reinforced with tritonium. They built this place to last.
- Most of the power relays are active. - Not bad after nine centuries.
The main reactor is drawing energy from the planet's geothermal core. Efficient.
Some kind of stasis pod.
This display indicates there are more chambers behind these walls.
- Some have failed. - It's amazing they survived at all.
Let's see what else we can find.
- Seven, what are you doing? - I've activated reanimation sequence.
- He may provide answers. - We don't know about this species.
- They could be hostile. - Most humanoid cultures are.
Remind me to re-acquaint you with away mission protocols.
It's all right, we're not your enemy.
We're from a starship. We discovered this chamber and revived you.
- How long was I... - In stasis? Close to 900 years.
900.
Jisa... Help her. Please.
No, Jisa.
She was my wife.
I won't hurt you.
I was drifting in and out of consciousness.
I thought I saw you appear out of thin air.
I'm a computer program. A hologram.
- And the others? - Flesh and blood like yourself.
You're the ones that took me out of stasis. I don't recognise your species.
Human. Our home planet is halfway across the galaxy.
- You've expanded to this space? - Our ship was brought here by accident.
We're trying to get home.
- You're Borg. - How do you know that?
Don't you recognise my people, the Vaadwaur?
The collective's memory from 900 years ago is fragmentary.
I've had many encounters with your kind.
And lived to tell about them? Impressive.
How did you find us?
We needed a place to hide from the Turei.
They found us in a subspace corridor.
- Their corridor? - So they claim.
The corridors were ours.
We were the envy of 100 species, including the Turei.
Are they responsible for what happened?
The Turei and a dozen others. What one couldn't accomplish, the others did.
I would like to look at what's left of my world.
We made our final stand there.
I scanned the caverns. You've got more pods down there, most of them active.
Hundreds of ships, land vehicles... weapons.
A single battalion. We planned to come out of stasis after five years.
We believed by then the alliance would be at each other's throats.
- You were going to rebuild? - Not here.
We knew this planet would be poisoned.
We were planning to go to a new world, start a colony, learn from new allies.
Your power core is functioning.
Your controls were damaged. That's why you never came out of stasis.
Jisa and I lived there in the old quarter. We had a garden overlooking the street.
It's a shame she didn't show more courage at the end.
- Given the circumstances... - That's no excuse.
Pardon me for saying this, but that seems a bit heartless.
When it rains, do you run from doorway to doorway trying to stay dry?
Or do you just accept the fact that it's raining and walk with dignity?
- Plasma bombs are different. - But the principle is the same.
I'd bring an umbrella.
Maybe it's not too late to meet a new ally, learn from her.
I took the liberty of preparing a large assortment of Delta Quadrant dishes.
- Hopefully, you'll like something. - You're Talax-ilzay.
Talaxian. But you're right.
My ancestors referred to themselves as Talax-ilzay in the Old Tongue.
- It was new when I met your race. - You travelled to Talaxia?
And further. Our corridors took us to many worlds.
I'm curious. Have you heard of us, the Vaadwaur?
There aren't many records from that period.
But "vaadwaur" is a word in the Old Tongue. It means... foolish.
I'm sure that it's just a coincidence, of course. I didn't mean to be rude.
Your ancestors were wise.
Only fools would let this happen to them.
- Chakotay to Janeway. - Go ahead.
- Our friends in orbit have found us. - We're on our way.
- Report. - Six vessels all firing plasma charges.
- That was 2,000 metres to starboard. - They can't fix our position.
The atmosphere is disrupting their targeting.
- They're getting closer. - Can we return fire?
We have the same problem. Our torpedoes won't lock on.
Direct hit. Shields down to 18%.
Can you transmit a signal through this atmosphere?
- We've tried talking. - I have no intention of speaking.
We put a sentry satellite in orbit above the city, you could use its sensors.
It's there. Intact and functional.
Open a channel. I'll give you the activation code.
I'm a few centuries out of date.
You can enter the activation code here.
- It's processing our telemetry. - Triangulate.
Fire.
Direct hit. The lead ship has lost shields. Its propulsion is down.
- One more will finish them. - Other ships retreating.
- Why don't you keep firing? - We've scared them off.
- They'll come back with more ships. - Our warp drive will be on-line by then.
The Turei may be cowards, but their technology has become more advanced.
If you leave us, we will be slaughtered again.
What do you propose?
Help us off this planet and we will show you
subspace corridors known to nobody else.
You will be free from the Turei.
And you will be a thousand light years closer to your home.
Let's wake up your battalion.
Dragon's teeth. An old Greek myth.
After a dragon was killed in a war, its teeth were spread over the battlefield.
They took root and warriors sprung from the ground
to continue the fighting.
Captain's log, supplemental. We've revived 200 of the Vaadwaur
and we're moving forward with our unexpected alliance.
Voyager was pulled into the corridor 200 light years from here.
There was a break along the radial wall.
The corridors occur naturally, but they're very unstable.
The Turei don't have the wisdom to maintain them.
They'll be difficult to navigate after centuries of neglect.
We've only been able to chart a few corridors. Can you give us a map?
We've never kept written records for security reasons.
We committed all the corridors to memory. Every multi-fold and intersect.
We'd be happy to plot a course for you. But we need to get past the Turei.
- How many vessels are in orbit? - 11.
Start working on a tactical plan.
If we manage to escape, we'll need to locate a habitable world.
Scan the astrometric database. See if you can find some place out of the way.
Morin, revive the rest of our battalion.
Many bio-pods are damaged. I could use some assistance.
Our chief engineer will give you a hand.
Let's get started. We've got a civilisation to rebuild.
No story tonight. I had to cook for 200 people today.
That's OK. I'm tired too.
Did you get a chance to meet any of the children?
I don't like them.
- Why not? - I just don't.
Well, that's not good enough. I'm the ship's ambassador.
You're the captain's assistant. We have to make a good impression.
- They're not my friends. - Well, not yet.
Listen. First thing tomorrow, we'll get together with a couple of the children...
No.
Naomi, what's wrong?
Nothing. I don't like them and I don't want to play with them.
That doesn't sound like you.
Tell me what happened.
They called you names.
Names?
They said everybody from your planet was stupid.
They said your ears were funny. They said you made them laugh.
- They said... - I get the idea.
Children can be a little cruel sometimes, but there's no need to take it personally.
Besides, my ears are kind of funny.
I don't want to play with them.
- No. And you don't have to. - OK.
Come on.
Good night.
I'll tell you a story tomorrow, I promise.
I'm not happy with these fluctuations. We may be reactivating too many ships.
I suggest we focus on the assault fighters.
Thanks. When did you learn Klingon?
Just a few phrases. I was studying your database.
- The Klingons are a noble race. - They have their moments.
- Today is a good day to die. - Pardon?
Kahless, your greatest warrior. That was his battle cry.
You have taken an interest in Klingon history.
There are parallels with our culture. We learned to embrace death without fear.
We're taught to fall asleep each night imagining a different way to die.
I prefer curling up with a good book.
Computer, access my personal database.
Access established.
Go into the Talaxian linguistic files,
Old Tongue dialect.
Find and define the word "Vaadwaur".
Vaadwaur. Archaic adjective. Primary meaning - foolish.
Additional meanings - weak-minded, reckless, blind.
What's the first known usage?
First written example in Eldaxon's "Collected Folklore", second edition.
Year of publication - 5012. New Calendar.
Name the specific folk tales that use the word "Vaadwaur".
"The Demon With The Golden Voice, The Tale of the Deadly Stranger,
"The Tale of the Boy Who Lost His Head.
"The Tale of the Bloody Hand".
Not exactly "Mother Goose".
Computer, transfer the text of those stories to my quarters.
Transfer complete.
That star cluster in grid 1421. Nearly half the planets are inhabitable.
They are already occupied. By the Borg.
The Borg? In my century, they had only assimilated a handful of systems.
They've spread through the quadrant like a plague.
- No offence. - None taken.
We had a colony near the twin star in grid 315.
- That is part of the Devore Empirium. - And who are they?
An authoritarian regime who claim 11 systems across three sectors.
I wonder if they'd negotiate for a continent or two.
- They are intolerant of outsiders. - We have nothing to negotiate with.
Our technology is 900 years out of date.
Your pessimism is irrelevant. We will find a home for you.
I hope you're right.
16 Turei vessels are in orbit. Sensors indicate five more are on the way.
They want the odds in their favour, but isn't that overkill?
They may have detected us. If they know their history, they'll be prepared.
900 years is a long time to hold a grudge.
The Turei would like nothing more than to find our other subspace corridors.
- We can't allow that to happen. - We should use the element of surprise.
At 0600, Voyager will leave the surface and engage the ships in orbit.
The more powerful Vaadwaur vessels will attack from multiple vectors.
The rest will break orbit from the opposite side of the planet
and proceed to the corridors.
What if Voyager's disabled? We'll be defenceless.
If we armed my ships with your photon torpedoes...
- I can't authorise that. - Why not?
Starfleet are strict about weapons.
I'm not used to this.
There are a lot of things to get used to. We've faced worse than the Turei.
I need those weapons.
- Sorry. The answer's no. - If you want access to our corridors...
We'll go home through open space if we have to.
All right. Our lives are in your hands.
We found a planet in a nebula near the junction of corridors 39 and 875.
- We'd be isolated and relatively safe. - Relatively.
I'm afraid the planet is somewhat harsh. The vegetation is sparse.
- This is absurd. - We need a power coupling over here.
Our plan was to rebuild a former colony. Gain allies, take back what was ours.
Our former colonies are occupied by species far more advanced than we are.
- We'll find a way to take them back. - With a battalion of obsolete ships?
No, with Voyager.
I've been studying their technology - control systems, propulsion, weaponry.
- We can learn to operate it. - What are you saying?
After engaging the Turei, they'll expect us to assist them. But we'll attack.
We'll put soldiers on Voyager and take it into the corridors.
It's a mistake. If we fail, we lose everything.
If you like, I can return you to your stasis pod.
Inform the others.
An M-Class planet in orbit of a type-G star.
A continent with edible vegetation and a water supply.
- The region is subject to wind storms. - Not exactly paradise.
You will adapt.
Practical and to the point.
Just like my wife. She cut to the truth.
- She must have been efficient. - You would have enjoyed her company.
You are not at all like the Borg I knew.
As a drone, I helped assimilate many civilisations.
Now I have the opportunity to help reconstruct one.
I find the experience... gratifying.
So do I.
I'm curious. Has your crew ever considered finding a planet of their own?
A place to settle down?
The captain is committed to getting Voyager home.
That could take decades. There are many dangers ahead.
We will adapt.
I suppose you will.
- Neelix to Seven of Nine. - Yes.
Can I see you in cargo bay 27 It's important.
- Acknowledged. - I'm due at a briefing with Tuvok.
I'll accompany you to the bridge.
I'm sorry to bother you, but I've been doing some research on our new allies.
I have found something interesting. In the folk tales of my people,
there's a common theme.
They describe an army that appears out of thin air, destroys entire colonies,
and vanishes in the blink of an eye.
- Sound familiar? - The subspace corridors.
Exactly. Gedrin claims they've been using them as trade routes,
but I'm starting to wonder.
- Your source material is folk tales. - Many fables have a basis in reality.
You've got the collective knowledge of many species.
You could cross-reference my findings.
It would only take a few minutes.
Come in.
You wanted to see me, Captain?
Yes.
I need a little history lesson.
Can't it wait until after we reach the corridors?
I'm afraid not. I've had a conversation with Mr Neelix and Seven of Nine.
They've been pouring through databases and have made some surprising findings.
Surprising?
You told me the Vaadwaur were a culture of merchants and scientists
who expanded their knowledge by using subspace corridors to other worlds.
You were the envy of hundreds of species,
some of whom eventually wanted the corridors for themselves.
- Your point? - Let me give another version of events.
The Vaadwaur were an aggressive culture
who expanded their territory by using the corridors to attack other worlds,
until some of those worlds banded together to defend themselves
and put an end to the Vaadwaur threat once and for all.
- Would you set the record straight? - That was 900 years ago.
If we're going to be fighting side by side, I have to trust you,
be certain you don't have ulterior motives.
Our only motive is survival.
If I took you at your word, the ancient Talaxians might call me "vaadwaur".
Foolish. That's what they called anyone who was deceived by an enemy.
There are hundreds of other references just like it.
Both versions of our history are true.
We did use the corridors to explore and on occasion expand our territory.
We have gone from a population of six billion to 600. Our weapons are archaic.
Do you think we're ready to declare war on the Delta Quadrant?
Not yet, but right now it's Voyager I'm worried about.
The Turei will fire everything they've got at my ship.
- You might take advantage of that. - Are you going to put us all into stasis?
We said we'd try to help you make a new start.
And I want to keep that promise.
But I can't ignore history, Mr Gedrin.
Make yourself comfortable, Mr Gedrin.
Chakotay.
I don't know whether to believe him. What I wouldn't give for a Betazoid.
We should be ready for anything.
Their technology could still do a lot of damage.
Agreed. Maintain a full security alert.
Have Tuvok keep a weapons lock on their primary reactor.
- Are we proceeding at 0600 hours? - Yes, but with a few modifications.
- What's Mr Gaul's location? - He's in the central chamber.
Hail him.
Captain, we've reactivated 73 assault vessels. Pilots are standing by.
I need to inform you about a change of plan.
Deactivate the particle cannons on all but ten of your assault vessels.
- Then we'll proceed on schedule. - I don't understand.
Only ten ships are going to engage the Turei.
The others will head for the subspace corridors.
- I see no reason for them to be armed. - Why leave them defenceless?
- Voyager will defend them. - What prompted this change?
You haven't been honest about your past.
That makes me a little uncertain about the present.
- Gedrin. - I suggest you listen to her.
- Request denied, Captain. - It's not a request.
- You can call it an ultimatum. - Unacceptable.
I'm leaving this planet in one hour, with or without you.
We did not spend 900 years in stasis to take orders from you.
Contact the battalion. Tell them to prepare for the attack.
I'm ready to get moving. What's our status?
Impulse engines on-line.
- Weapons standing by. - Prepare to initiate ascent sequence.
- Report. - Energy readings from central chamber.
The Vaadwaur are launching the first wave of ships.
17 vessels have broken through the surface and are charging weapons.
They're not ascending into orbit, they're heading straight for Voyager.
Tom?
Engaging thrusters. Initiating ascent sequence.
Ships approaching off starboard bow.
Target phasers, full spread.
We're airborne.
What altitude do we need before we go to warp?
I have to clear the thermosphere. 280 kilometres at least.
- Shields at 92%. - Phasers.
- We've disabled four ships. - They've launched another 39 vessels.
- Evasive manoeuvres. - They're closing on all sides.
Direct hit to port thrusters. Losing altitude.
Reroute emergency power. We need to get into orbit.
Targeting sensors off-line. Switching to manual.
Can you open a secure channel to the Turei ships in orbit?
Yes, but that would give away our position.
It's time we re-acquaint old friends. Hail them.
Voyager's shields are weakening, but they're gaining altitude.
Launch another squadron.
We've got nine more fighters on our tail.
- Aft shields down to 20%. - The Turei are responding.
Put them through.
- What do you want? - I have a proposition.
- No more talk. Prepare to be boarded. - Have you picked up weapons fire?
We have detected some unusual energy signatures, yes.
That's because we're under attack by the Vaadwaur.
Impossible. They were destroyed centuries ago.
- Some of us have survived. - They've got over 200 ships.
They mentioned wanting their subspace corridors back.
I suggest we join forces and try to neutralise the threat here and now.
Would you rather delete the records of a ship that means you no harm
or defend yourself against Vaadwaur fighters determined to invade you?
Pick your enemy.
How can we fight an enemy we can't see?
We have access to a surveillance satellite.
We could transmit their vital coordinates to you.
- If this is a deception... - Having trouble with the satellite.
- Sensor array took heavy damage. - I could access it from underground.
Not all of my people are stuck in the past.
Tuvok, go with him.
We impacted their hull. There are breaches on two decks.
They'll have to reroute power to seal them.
They'll have to put down. Have our ground forces ready.
- We've lost impulse engines. - We're losing altitude.
Tuvok, status. Tuvok?
I've lost his signal.
All hands, this is the captain. Initiate emergency landing procedures.
And arm yourselves. If the Vaadwaur board, we'll fight them hand to hand.
Once we secure Voyager, execute the crew.
Wait. We have hundreds of bio-pods intact. Put them in stasis.
In a few hundred years, maybe someone will revive them.
What is that?
It's a plasma charge. It came from orbit.
The Turei have isolated our location. A satellite has been activated.
Shut it down!
They're blocking my command. I'm rotating carrier frequencies.
The chamber is destabilising. We must evacuate.
Not yet. I need to transmit the signatures of our fighters to the Turei.
You go.
Six Vaadwaur ships were destroyed by the Turei.
- Impulse engines? - Off-line.
- Emergency power? - Barely enough for life support.
The radiogenic particles. Could we use them as a power source?
We'd have to modify the warp core's matrix.
Can we draw the particles into the plasma manifold?
- It would give us a boost. - It might blow out every power relay.
Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
Open the nacelle ports. Reverse the pressure gradient. Take in 600 kg.
The chamber's collapsing, sir.
We'll take as many ships as we can. Try to reach the subspace corridor.
Particle concentration at 3,000 parts per million.
Release the manifold.
Rerouting plasma to the power conduits. We have impulse.
Take us up.
- 13 power relays blew out on deck 6. - Steady.
- We're crossing the thermosphere. - Any sign of pursuit?
None. The Vaadwaur have their hands full.
- Altitude. - 260 kilometres...
270...
We've cleared the thermosphere.
- Go to warp, Mr Paris. - Yes, ma'am.
Captain's log, stardate 53167.9.
After two days, there's been no sign of the Vaadwaur or the Turei.
But Seven of Nine has made an unsettling discovery.
How many ships?
Astrometric scans detected 53 entering the corridors. All Vaadwaur.
- The underground chambers? - Destroyed by the Turei bombardment.
Captain.
I believe I made an error in judgement.
Waking Gedrin initiated a chain of events that nearly led to our destruction.
I wanted to help revive a civilisation, not start a war.
You thought you were acting out of compassion.
I might have done the same thing.
But that doesn't make it right. The repercussions could be catastrophic.
Their technology is nine centuries out of date. Their plans are irrelevant.
They're a resourceful species, determined.
They'll adapt.
I doubt we've seen the last of them.